The Las Vegas Raiders were expected to add Kliff Kingsbury to their coaching staff.
Earlier this week, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Kingsbury had been selected to fill the Raiders’ vacant offensive coordinator position. But on Saturday, a new report from Schefter surfaced, saying that Kingsbury had decided to withdraw his name from consideration, according to his agent, Erik Burkhardt.
Kinsbury is a highly regarded offensive mind and reportedly drew interest from multiple NFL teams during the recent hiring cycle. In another surprising twist, Schefter added that Kingsbury is now «a leading candidate to become the Commanders’ offensive coordinator, per sources.»
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USC Trojans Senior offensive analyst Kliff Kingsbury talks to his players during the college football game between the USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish on October 14, 2023, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. (Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Raiders also interviewed former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt and Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan for their offensive coordinator opening.
Van Pelt accepted the New England Patriots offensive coordinator role, the team announced on Thursday. It is unclear whether Getsy or Sullivan will be reconsidered in the wake of Kingsbury’s surprising reversal.
Kingsbury spent four seasons as the Arizona Cardinals‘ head coach. The team averaged 23.6 points per game during his time at the helm. Kingsbury’s best season came in 2021, when he helped lift the Cardinals to an 11-6 record and a postseason berth.
In January, the Raiders removed the interim head coaching tag from Antonio Pierce. He recently joked that he hoped the team’s next offensive coordinator could produce a «minimum of 24 points» per game.
He coached 2019 top overall draft pick Kyler Murray in Arizona and also helped develop two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes during his college football days at Texas Tech. Kinsbury was relieved of his duties at the end of the 2022 season and spent the year as the senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach for the USC football team.
The Raiders were likely hoping that their quarterback could benefit from having Kingsbury as a playcaller in 2024, but Las Vegas’ quarterback situation for next season remains unclear. The Raiders will likely part ways with veteran signal caller Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, and the team may add someone else to the quarterback room to compete with Aidan O’Connell.
Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury prior to the start of the NFL game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons on January 1, 2023, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Pierce also noted that he wanted his new offensive coordinator to be a «teacher.»
«You’ve got to be able to run the football – play-action pass,» Pierce said. «What are the Raiders known for? The vertical passing game, right? We want to see the shots down the field. We want the explosive plays. That has to be a part of the creativity. You look at the shifts, the motions, all that stuff goes into it. . . .
«Just think of when [the] Raiders were playing really good football, and that’s going to be your offensive coordinator, hopefully, as we go forward.»
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Bo Hardegree served as the Raiders’ interim offensive coordinator after team owner Mark Davis fired head coach Josh McDaniels in late October.
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